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When You Looked Away
  • Published: 9 July 2026
  • ISBN: 9781405979221
  • Imprint: Penguin eBooks
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 400

When You Looked Away

Formats & editions
Tr. Paperback
6 Oct 2026
EBook
9 July 2026
Audiobook
9 July 2026
Hardback
9 Aug 2026
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It’s every mother’s worst nightmare. Your son is gone. And everyone’s a suspect - even you...a page-turning new thriller from the author of Believe

Laura’s a good mother.
Between her messy divorce with her ex-husband, and moving in with her new fiancé, her son Benjy has been her constant.
But now that they’re settled, Laura is excited to throw herself back into work.
Being a mother is fulfilling, but Laura has always felt that writing is her true calling. Her ultimate escape.
Until that fateful day. The afternoon starts like any other. Laura picks Benjy up from school, then heads upstairs to write.
It’s not until the sun is setting that she realises the house is quiet. Too quiet.
It’s not until she sees the footprints in the garden that she knows something is terribly wrong.
One set is undeniably Benjy’s. It’s the other set that strikes fear in her heart – those of an adult.
Someone who took her son, right from under her nose…
  • Published: 9 July 2026
  • ISBN: 9781405979221
  • Imprint: Penguin eBooks
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 400

About the author

S.M. Govett

S.M. Govett read Law at Trinity College, Oxford, before qualifying as a solicitor in the City. After realising that didn't suit her, she started tutoring before turning her hand to writing, which she discovered was her true calling. She has since authored several bestselling YA novels, including The Territory trilogy and We Go On Forever. She also co-wrote the screenplay for the feature film, T.I.M., which was the no. 1 film on Netflix upon release. Believe is her debut adult thriller. She currently lives in London with her husband and three children.
portrait photo of S.M. Govett

Also by S.M. Govett

Believe
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Praise for When You Looked Away

Praise for S.M. Govett

The very definition of a page turner. A thought-provoking mystery, brimming with suspense...S.M. Govett is one to watch

Janice Hallett

Propulsive and provocative, taut and timely

A.J. Finn

A superior psychological thriller...gripping, clever and full of twists you won't see coming

Sarah Pinborough

I didn’t look away once from this taut, intelligent thriller. Tense, gritty and shocking it’s a frighteningly relatable psychological horror, expertly intertwined with a police procedural. This story is the very definition of a page turner and S. M. Govett is a master storyteller

Janice Hallett

Haunting and compelling, right to the final page. A terrific follow-up to Believe from S.M. Govett

Chris Chibnall